Sir Ambrose Heal (1872- 1959) was a designer, retailer and influential figure whose time at the helm of Heal’s put the firm at the centre of design and retail innovation in Britain.
Chairman of Heal's from 1913-1953, a number of his Arts & Crafts designs feature as part of our Heal's 100 exhibition alongside contemporary furniture inspired by his legacy. To better tell the story of Ambrose and his lasting impact on Heal's, we spoke to his grandson Oliver, who describes the many sides to his multi-talented forbear.
“Ambrose Heal joined the family firm in 1883, after serving a two-year apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker. Strongly influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement, much of his work was based on his study of antique furniture.“
Ambrose’s approach to life and work was one of integrity and based on his firm belief that it was his mission to improve the design of the objects with which we surround ourselves.
In the words of Gordon Russell: ‘His outlook was not just a fashion of the moment, It was a deeply felt way of life with him and affected everything he did.’”
Heal’s 100: 347 Suite Tall Boy by Ambrose Heal (1902).
"An early Ambrose Heal tall boy in quartersawn oak and inlaid with ebony and boxwood in chequer stringing. This is a rare example from the Heal’s bedroom suite ‘347’ from 1902, illustrated in Oliver Heal’s book, Sir Ambrose Heal and the Heal Cabinet Factory. interestingly, it is labelled inside with a name and the date 1907, which is probably that of the original owner."
Magnus Englund, Heal's 100 Curator.
An original line drawing and specification sheet for an Ambrose Heal design, circa 1900s.
“Ambrose married Rose Rippingille in his early twenties and they had a son, Cecil Ambrose, Sadly, Rosie died in 1900 and Cecil was killed on the front line in 1916. By then, Ambrose has remarried, to Edith Florence Digby Todhunter, although he never fully recovered from his grief. “ Despite his reluctance to be involved in public life, his contributions were recognised by his contemporaries, who elected him to the Art Workers Guild and the Society of Antiquaries. He was also honoured to receive the Royal Society of Arts’ gold Albert Medal, elected to the select new group of the Royal Designers for Industry and received his knighthood in 1933 for services to industrial design.”
Heal’s was to become synonymous with the symbol of the four-poster bed, thanks to Ambrose Heal’s introduction of this distinctive logo. This sign hung outside the Tottenham Court Road building for a number of decades and is now on display inside.
“The skill of the retail merchant is more ephemeral than the furniture that he sells, yet Ambrose’s talent in this area was perhaps even more crucial to the reputation of the business. With typical pedantry, he insisted that ‘a store is a place where you keep things; a shop is a place where you sell things’, so the Tottenham Court Road premises were always referred to as ‘the shop’ and he was proud to be a shopkeeper.
“To attract customers, Heal’s needed to stand out from the Ordinary, this meant that every detail was given careful consideration. First of all, the merchandise had to meet high aesthetic and quality standards, in keeping with William Morris’s golden dictum: ‘Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’”
Heal’s 100: Owl Cabinet by Ambrose Heal (1920s).
"This limed oak Tall Boy is a much-loved design, affectionately known as the 'Owl Cabinet' because of the distinctive large roundels to the top cupboard, giving it an owl-like appearance.
With four large drawers under the top cupboard, it remains a practical and attractive storage unit for today, amazing considering it was introduced before the First World War and continued in production until the end of the 1920s." Magnus Englund, Heal's 100 Curator.
This wartime sales leaflet was distributed to Heal's customers around 1917 and is an example of Ambrose's pioneering approach to marketing.
“Merchandising deemed good enough to be on the premises was displayed imaginatively, then promoted with advertising and graphics that reflected the assiduously developed house style, using copywriting that spoke to an intelligent, cultivated customer. The adoption of a recognisable corporate identity through the four-poster logo and the chequered border around advertisements, was one of his earliest contributions - long before the concept was commonplace.
“Crucial to Ambrose Heal’s success was the team of people he assembled around him, at a time when shop staff were generally poorly treated and held in low esteem. He recognised the need for people who shared his vision, fostering a strong team spirit by showing respect for the individuals he employed. But Ambrose did not tolerate fools or slovenly work and insisted on things being how he wanted. His baleful stare reduced many to size.”
Oliver Heal
Heal's 100: Pinner Four-Poster Bed by Kirsty Whyte (2015).
"Heal’s has a long and proud history of selling four-poster beds. The Pinner bed, named after Sir Ambrose Heal’s hometown, has a pragmatic Arts & Crafts elegance combined with undeniable modernity. It features a low mattress and raised headboard and is finished in Atlantic Blue, the colour today more widely seen as the new neutral."
Magnus Englund, Heal's 100 Curator.
Discover the history of Ambrose, Heal’s and British design by visiting Our Heritage page or the Heal’s 100 exhibition on display at our Tottenham Court Road store from 8th May – 11th June.
You can also shop a selected range of pieces from the collection here.
[ INSPIRATION ]
At Heal's
Always at the forefront of design, the major part Heal’s played introducing modernism to British homes is one that is too often overlooked, underplayed or plain ignored.
To make amends for this crime against design history, we bring together key pieces from our Heal’s 100 exhibition to tell the story of modernist furniture in Britain. It’s a common misconception that modernism did not grab a foothold on these shores until after the austerity of the Second World War.
However, one look at a Heal’s catalogue from the 1930s shows that, from art deco to the Bauhaus, cutting edge furniture design was already commonplace at the Tottenham Court Road store.
Speaking on the link between Heal's and modernism in Britain, Heal’s 100 curator Magnus Englund has said: “What was interesting with the product was to see how on trend Heal’s has been through the years.
They were the place to go for Arts & Crafts but they also embraced Modernism and quite a stark modernism early on in the late 1920s and early 1930s with black gloss paint and tubular steel, which wasn’t to everyone’s taste at the time.
Then from the 1950s onwards Scandinavian design, which is where I come from and is my background."
Art-Deco Chromium-plated Desk by Heal’s Design Studio (1930s)
A major departure from the solid wood, Arts & Crafts furniture for which Heal’s was renowned, this desk is a prime example of Ambrose Heal’s (Director of the business from 1913-1953) willingness to promote the best of modern design. Sadly, such a daring new direction was not to everyone's taste as the outspoken art critic and anarchist Herbert
Read made clear at the time: “Ambrose has become more modish and Mayfairish, always at the expense of logical design.” Of course, what Mr. Read failed to grasp was how ahead of its time this piece really was.
In an age long before the laptop-based home office, the desk provided an efficient workstation for those limited on space (sound familiar?) Finished in eau-de-nil lacquer, the vogue for any art deco inspired home, it features an Ivorine Heal & Son disc on the inside of the top drawer.
Dodie Wardrobe by Ambrose Heal for Heal’s (1932)
Sir Ambrose Heal designed the Dodie bedroom suite, which includes this inlaid wardrobe, for his mistress Dodie Smith, a shop worker who later became an author and penned children’s favourite The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Dodie was a key character at Heal’s during the 1920s and 1930s, where she ran the toy department among other responsibilities. The wardrobe itself is typical of the art deco style that emerged from Paris in the 1920s and would become a hugely popular interiors movement throughout Western Europe during the 1930s.
Heal’s was an early adopter of deco as exhibited by the Dodie Wardrobe and other Ambrose designed pieces such as the Roman Chair (1933), both of which are now part of the Victoria & Albert Museum furniture collections.
Modernist Cocktail Cabinet by Heal’s Design Studio (1933)
Renowned for its innovative approach to marketing, the company launched a catalogue entitled ‘Heal’s Economy Furniture 1932 and All That’ to help boost sales and survive the Great Depression. It was, however, the following year when Heal’s really started to make waves.
Taking a step in the Bauhaus direction, the ‘Economy with a Difference at Heal’s - 1933’ catalogue took the bold step of introducing British homes to new chromium-plated steel furniture. An interesting piece with clear industrial overtones, this sleekly designed cocktail cabinet features a smaller drawer that appears to be divorced from the main unit. Finished in black lacquered solid wood that sits within an angular metal frame, inside one finds all the accoutrements needed for stylish cocktail making (this is the glamorous 1930s after all).
CH25 Chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen (1950)
Heal’s practice of sending buyers to the continent to visit trade fairs and suppliers led to the firm specialising in imports. The store went on to gain a reputation for being an early adopter of contemporary European brands and designer, one that it still holds to this day.
Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner made more than 500 different chairs during the course of his life including this one. A stunning example of Scandinavian solid wood furniture (or ‘Norwegian Wood’ as the Beatles famously dubbed it) each CH25 Chair is still handmade in Denmark to this day.
Such is the lineage of this chair that it has been featured in two advertising campaigns by Heal’s: one for ‘Scandinavian Furniture’ from the 1950s, and more recently in 2015.
To learn more about the story of Heal’s and its role in 20th-century design, visit Our Heritage page.
Duncan Grant's bedroom at Charleston, the Bloomsbury Group’s infamous farmhouse retreat. Photo courtesy of Penelope Fewster, Charleston Trust.
Speaking on the Bloomsbury Group, the writer Dorothy Parker famously quipped that they “lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles”.
Over a century on and their liberal approach to love, life and the arts continues to make genteel society go hot under the collar. Yet, for all the TV dramas and notes on a scandal, it is the groundbreaking art and design for which the group should really be remembered.
From the recent Sussex Modernism exhibition at Two Temple Place to Dulwich Picture Gallery’s current Vanessa Bell retrospective, the last few months have seen a resurgence in interest in the Bloomsbury Group’s expressionistic style.
So with our very own Heal’s 100 exhibition currently on display at the Tottenham Court Road store, what better time to share some of the stories that bind this infamous social set with Heal’s.
This closeup shot taken in the dining room of Charleston House gives a feel for the abstract, expressionist style so synonymous with Vanessa Bell's art and design. Photo courtesy of Penelope Fewster, Charleston Trust.
Intellectual, spiritual and physical bedfellows, the Bloomsbury Group started innocently enough as a gathering of friends with core members including the artists Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry and Duncan Grant, writers E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf, and the economist John Maynard Keynes.
The group would meet in London’s Bloomsbury, hence the name, in between their studies at Trinity College, Cambridge and by 1905 were holding exhibitions of their paintings and literature as part of the “Friday Club”.
The Bloomsbury Group quickly became a feature of the bourgeois art scene of Fitzrovia and could regularly be spotted at the Mansard Gallery on the fourth floor of the Heal’s building. For this was one of the few places in the country where one could see the latest contemporary art from Europe including works by Picasso, Modigliani and Bloomsbury associate Wyndham Lewis.
HEAL’S 100: Omega Workshop rug by Duncan Grant (1913-15)
“This rug is symbolic of Heal’s support of the arts. Sir Ambrose Heal had a keen interest in fine art and his involvement with painting and drawing paralleled his development as a designer, manufacturer and retailer. In 1917, he opened the Mansard gallery within heal’s Tottenham Court Road Store, with exhibitions showing the work of artists including Modigliani for the first time in the UK. The top floor gallery naturally became a regular haunt of the Bloomsbury Group with this rug designed by principal member Duncan Grant for the Omega Workshop.”
Magnus Englund, Curator of the Heal’s 100 and Director of the Isokon Gallery Trust
A selection of furniture designed by Roger Fry for the Omega Workshop, circa 1913-1919.
Founded in 1913, the Omega Workshop provided an industrial output for the Bloomsbury Group’s expressionist takes on home furnishings. While all designs were anonymous, signed simply with an ‘O’, the majority of pieces were created by the businesses founders Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, who not only produced furniture but also ceramics, book covers and dress fabrics.
Despite the workshop being located just around the corner from Heal’s in Fitzroy Square, it would seem that such decorative design was too much even for the innovative tastes of Ambrose Heal, not to mention the public, with the business going into liquidation in 1919.
Thankfully, all is not lost, for those who wish to experience the Bloomsbury Group’s unique style of interior decor can simply pay a visit to Charleston House in the South Down’s. Home to Clive and Vanessa Bell, the country retreat was, for a time, the centre of the set’s universe past Fitzrovia and is painted from top to bottom with post-impressionist motifs.
HEAL’S 100: Trees Fabric by Cressida Bell for Heal’s 1810 (2014)
“Cressida Bell is an artist and designer of fine lineage. The daughter of critic, author and artist Quentin Bell, the granddaughter of Vanessa Bell and great-niece of Virginia Woolf, she is understandably influenced by her family's background in the Bloomsbury group. She has, however, also developed her own individual style, which is more meticulous and less painterly.
In 2014, Cressida created the immensely popular Trees fabric for Heal’s as part of the Heal’s 1810 range, the first collection of exclusively designed fabrics from the retailers since the 1970s.” Magnus Englund, Curator of the Heal’s 100 and Director of the Isokon Gallery Trust
Details of Clive Bell's, husband of Vanessa Bell, bedroom at Charleston House. Photo courtesy of Penelope Fewster, Charleston Trust.
To discover more stories from the Heal’s 100, an exhibition showcasing the 100 best items sold at Heal’s in the last century, visit our Tottenham Court Road store or browse the collection online.
This week we take a tour of the Whitworth Gallery to celebrate the extraordinary careers of two of Heal’s most celebrated fabrics designers.
Yes, as chance would have it, throughout the duration of our Heal’s 100 exhibition the striking patterns of Lucienne Day and Barbara Brown will not only be on display at our Tottenham Court Road store but also hanging in two new retrospective exhibitions at one of Manchester's most acclaimed institutions.
In a recent interview with Heal’s, Director of the Isokon Gallery Trust and Heal’s 100 curator Magnus Englund said of Heal’s historic fabric archive: “One of the nicest discoveries during the research was on the textiles side of Heals. I knew that Lucienne Day was one of the famous designers for Heal’s during the Festival of Britain in 1951, but I wasn’t aware of the extent of the Heal’s textile business, which wasn’t just about selling in their own stores but also selling to others including a large export business.”
Watch the full Magnus Englund interview here.
The interior of the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester.
When it comes to textiles, Lucienne Day is one of Heal’s, if not Britain’s, most celebrated exports. Synonymous with the mid-century style that came to epitomise the optimistic mood of post-war design, during the 1950s and 60s Day notched up more than 70 patterns for Heal’s including her infamous Calyx fabric for the Festival of Britain in 1951 and the Mezzanine fabric (1958), which features as part of our Heal’s 100.
To learn more about Heal’s role in the Festival of Britain, visit Our Heritage page.
This year marks the centenary of the influential British textile designer’s birth with a series of nationwide celebrations organised in partnership with the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation. One of these is the Whitworth Gallery’s new show Lucienne Day - A sense of growth, which focuses on her passion for gardening and how these botanical themes fed into her fabrics.
The exhibition runs from runs until the 11th June 2017.
Lucienne Day at home circa 1950s.
Calyx fabric (1951) for Heal's fabrics.
Herb Anthony (1955) for Heal's Fabrics.
Mezzanine (1958) for Heal's Fabrics.
‘Barbara Brown has become the golden girl of Heal’s Fabrics designers’, so proclaimed the Heal’s Fabrics brochure of 1967. Indeed, throughout the 1960s and 70s the Royal College of Art graduate and award-winning designer produced a number of striking patterns for Heal’s with styles ranging from op art to pop art, sci-fi to psychedelia - see her Decor Fabric (1967) feature in Heal's 100.
Explaining that her geometric textile designs “were based on machines and architecture”, Brown created optical illusions using mathematical formulae to suggest a sense of motion. Other tricks included employing strongly contrasting areas of light and shade to give a three-dimensional effect.
The eponymously titled show at the Whitworth Gallery is rather remarkably the first retrospective of Barbara Brown’s work in Britain, and is a must visit for fans of vintage patterns. Running until December 2017, we hope this will be the first of many exhibitions to reassess Brown’s important contribution to 20th-century design.
Barbara Brown on her Construction fabric (1968).
Decor Fabric (1967) for Heal's Fabrics.
Expansion (1966) for Heal's Fabrics.
Intermesh (1970) for Heal's Fabrics.
For those who can’t make it to the Whitworth, you can always pop into our flagship store on Tottenham Court Road to discover the fascinating stories from our Heal’s 100 exhibition or browse our contemporary range of fabrics online.
If you’re anything like us, simply admiring a finely crafted piece is not enough.
Not only do we want to know how it’s made but we are always willing to roll up our sleeves and try our hand at making it for ourselves.
So as our Made in London season draws to a close, it seems only fitting that we pull together a guide to ten of the city’s most exciting craft aficionados.
From pop-up sessions to evening classes, one-day workshops to qualified courses, these master makers are the go-to for anyone keen to get crafting.
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Blackhorse Workshop
Taking the ‘make, do and mend’ philosophy very much to heart, Blackhorse Workshop is an open access wood and metal workshop situated in Walthamstow. The fully equipped space is staffed by a team of expert technicians and is available to rent for half a day or you can sign up for an annual membership.
For those less adept with a power saw, Blackhorse Workshop also run a number of courses and workshops covering the basics of woodworking that range from a one-day introduction to more comprehensive classes spanning five evenings.
www.blackhorseworkshop.co.uk
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The Kiln Rooms
Peckham-based The Kiln Rooms is a communal studio that seeks to provide a platform for professional ceramicists. Spread over two studios, which are conveniently situated just around the corner from each other, this community of makers offers professional development to its members as well as classes aimed at beginners and master makers alike.
www.thekilnrooms.com
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Hato Press
While you may not be familiar with the term risograph printing, it’s likely that you will have already seen the work of Hato Press as part of exhibition graphics at the Tate, Design Museum and V&A. Capturing the warmth of analogue prints through the use of a digital printer, risograph printing is an easy, environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to create multi-layered artworks. Based in Hoxton, you can work with their team of printers to realise a riso project or learn the basics through their design, publishing and production workshops.
hatopress.net
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Shoreditch Design Rooms
A working upholstery studio, Shoreditch Design Rooms are specialists in all things furniture and fabrics. Priding themselves on a playful and personal approach, the studio’s master upholsterers have gained a reputation not only for their work with interior designers and architects but also as one of the country's leading upholstery training centres.
Whether it’s a taster course in caning, embroidery and cushion making or a full qualification you are after, Shoreditch Design Rooms is the perfect place to learn.
shoreditchdesignrooms.com
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Royal Drawing School
If you’ve ever fancied yourself as the next great figurative artist, the Royal Drawing School is just the place to sharpen your skills (and not to mention your pencil). Studios are spread across the capital in Shoreditch, Oxford Street and Trinity Buoy Wharf with the institution offering over 250 flexible courses in life drawing, etching or even the art of comics and graphic novels.
royaldrawingschool.org
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London Terrariums
For those keen to bring some greenery into their home, a workshop with London Terrariums is a must. Masters in the art of bottled gardens, this growing botanical business is soon to launch its first store in New Cross with owner Emma having just penned her debut book. The studio itself is based in Bermondsey, however, the bumper schedule of workshops take place across the capital in a host of trendy locations including Heal’s stores.
londonterrariums.com
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Grain & Knot
Lovingly handcrafted by Sophie, Grain & Knot produce a range of sleek wooden goods for the home. When she’s not busy whittling away at her home studio, Sophie spends her time travelling across the capital hosting her pop-up wood workshops, which includes spoon and butter knife carving using reclaimed timbers.
www.grainandknot.com
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The Workbench
Founded by east London jewellers and best friends Katie Woodward (a.k.a. Crux London) and Kirstie Maclaren, The Workbench helps would be designers carve their own solid silver ring. Fusing their creative flair and technical know-how, the pair has found a niche in the ever competitive world of pop-up workshops by producing a DIY kit that lets you create your own design.
www.theworkbenchlondon.com
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Bread Ahead
Master bakes are a piece of cake when you’ve got the expertise of the Bread Ahead team by your side. Located in the heart of the foodie mecca that is Borough Market, their bakery school is the perfect place to hone your baking skills with a mouth-watering array of courses including sourdough, patisserie and doughnut workshops.
www.breadahead.com
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London Beer Lab
Raise a glass to Brixton based London Beer Lab. Demystifying the craft behind your favourite tipple, this open source micro brewery have plenty of ales to tell with beer making workshops for individuals or groups of up to six people. Well if you’re going to plan a Saturday afternoon out with friends why not make it a boozy one?
www.londonbeerlab.com
For more hands-on workshops, designer talks and craft themed parties, make sure to check our roster of events.
Now in its fourth year, the Heal's Modern Craft Market is back and this time round we're focusing on the city where it all began.
Running from the 10th April to 7th May, at our Tottenham Court Road store, Made in London will champion the very best in the capital's new and emerging design talent by focusing on the small-scale designers and makers who live and work in the great metropolis.
London is an extraordinary creative and cultural hub that is very dear to our hearts having been place where Heal's first store was opened all the way back in 1810.
This unique season of events will provide a platform for new designers plus a showcase for the exceptional products that are not just being designed in the capital but are made there too.
The exhibitor list reflects the proud diversity of the city with everything from ceramics, gin-making, weaving, glassblowing, textiles to artisan soaps all in the mix. Like all Heal's events, we want you to get involved and will have a number of the designers and makers in store to provide live demonstrations, hands-on workshops and discuss the skills that go into the pieces on display.
What's on?
Your invite to our Made in London launch party
Of course, no season at Heal's is complete without a party, which is why we're holding a special event that is free to all on Thursday 20th April 6-9pm. Join us at our Tottenham Court Road store to celebrate the launch of Made in London and enjoy London Gin & Tonics from Sipsmith, cider from Urban Orchard by Hawkes, beer from Redchurch Brewery and pies from Square Pie in Old Spitalfields Market.
On there night there will also be a host of workshops for you to try your hand at including: 19th Century loom weaving with London Cloth Company; Soap cutting workshops with Soapsmith; Pottery painting with Amanda Sue-Rope; Chair caning with Rachael South; Furniture upholstery from Shoreditch Design Rooms; Surfboard shaping with Nof surfboards and Blackhorse Workshop; and Meet the Maker session with London Terrariums, Michael Ruh, Goldfinger Factory, Caitlin Hinshelwood and Jode Pankhurst.
Amanda Sue-Rope
Who's who at Made in London
Blackhorse Workshops, E17
This collaborative group of talented designers will be showing a range of pieces, including oak furniture, handcrafted toys and musical instruments, as well as showing visitors how to make, recycle or upcycle items to create something wonderful.
Caitlin Hinshelwood
Caitlin Hinshelwood, SE16
Caitlin will be showing how, by using traditional techniques and methods and taking her inspiration from the natural world and folk traditions, she creates stunning and unique cushions and scarves.
Jode Pankhurst
Ceramics in the City, E8, E2, SE15
Jode Pankhurst, Amanda-Sue Rope, Sara Jeffries and Milo Made Ceramics will be on hand to show visitors the exceptional craftsmanship that goes into creating their beautiful and unusual pieces.
Goldfinger Factory
Goldfinger Factory, W10
Members of the team will be demonstrating their unique approach to design and craft and showing off their skills in bespoke furniture, interiors and jewellery.
London Cloth Company
London Cloth Company, E5
If you’ve always wondered how beautiful woven cloth is created, you’ll get the answers from the London Cloth Company. The first micro-mill to open in London, they will demonstrate the process on a restored shuttle loom from the 1800s.
London Terrariums
London Terrariums, SE15
Learn all about botanicals and how to garden under glass by attending one of London Terrariums much-loved workshops.
Michael Ruh
Michael Ruh, SE27
Glass-blowing is extraordinary to watch and Michael Ruh is a master of the art. Meet Michael and learn how he creates his stunning hand-crafted pieces.
Rachael South
Rachael South, E8
Talented furniture restorer and maker Rachael will be demonstrating her caning and weaving skills, many of which were picked up working with craftspeople in India, Central America and Europe.
Shoreditch Design Rooms
Shoreditch Design Rooms, E2
The talented people behind Shoreditch Design Rooms will be showcasing their eye-catching furniture and hosting a series of upholstery demonstrations. There will also be a series of workshops where you will be able to learn upholstery techniques from the makers themselves.
Sipsmith Gin
Sipsmith Gin, W4
Shopping can be thirsty work, which is why Sipsmith Gin will be on hand serving up their delicious London Dry Gin.
Soapsmith
Soapsmith, E17
Meet the producers of these delicious artisan soaps and lotions, which nourish the skin and rouse the senses. Discover the full programme of demonstrations, workshops and talks by visiting our Events page.
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